Have you been a victim of Cybercrime?

Facebook Crimes

We are all aware of the importance of social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and any form of communication associated with them. With technology reaching out to the remotest parts of the world, crimes relating to technology also have become widespread.

Undoubtedly Facebook has changed the way people communicated as compared to a decade ago. But they say “not everything that glitters is gold”. In the same way, there’s also a downside to all the perks of technology. Everyday a smartie comes up with an entirely new technique to trouble the authorities and policy-makers. To err is human. No system ever developed has been perfect. There’s always room for error. But a little carefulness can save you from all the trouble.

Following are some of the most common crimes an average person is at the risk of being a victim of.

Scams

Probably one of the pioneer techniques, scams have been known to humanity since a very long time. The procedure that follow a scam is simply by intriguing an individual to follow a link by offering a token or some lottery. The link will then ask you to submit some information like your credit card number in order to claim the prize. It may sound like scams are easy to spot. But in fact, many internet whizz-kids have to look out for any traps they might come across.

Cyberbullying

Cyberstalking is another common occurrence we see every other day. It can lead to serious criminal charges if it goes a little too further. We have witnessed several instances of cyberbullying on Facebook that resulted in the deaths of multiple teenagers who were either bullied to death or committed suicide due to intense frustration. Cyberbullying that involves hacking and identity theft can be punishable by federal law.

Stalking

We often hear the term “stalking” been thrown around by our friends and acquaintances as a joke in everyday life. In effect, cyberstalking is a crime and is very common on Facebook and can lead to a serious offense. It usually involves sending someone messages, threats, and persistently following and keeping a track of their activities online that can also be dangerous at times. Since i i so commonly known, it may not seem like a big deal. But it may have to be concerned in certain cases and can lead to serious consequences if otherwise.

Robbery

Since you nearly put everything from your hometown to highschool to favourite hangout spot to where you’re having lunch and who with, it’s not difficult for a burglar or robber to gather sufficient information about you. Your Facebook check-ins or Google maps store all your locations from time to time which could be very troublesome if you’re under surveillance by a thief. It doesn’t necessarily have to be some stranger. It could be an ex-friend, old acquaintance or someone you’d never expect to turn up.

Identity Theft

As just has been mentioned, your profile contains ALL your information. And just like a material thief, there are cyber thieves as well who are always on the look-out for stealing identities. They can steal your information and make fake accounts and impersonate you and therefore can cause a reasonable amount of confusion and chaos for you and those around you. Avoid being “ID robbed” by keeping your information private and NOT putting every single thing on your profile.

Defamation

Defamation refers to making a false statement about a third party that might make them look bad. Media like Facebook make this super easy. Which makes is more likely that individual or businesses can be defamed very effectively and easily. Therefore always be careful of what you say or post about on your profile. You may be committing a serious offense without even knowing.

Harassment

Harassment is yet another everyday crime we witness. From sexual harassment to threatening messages, it has significantly increased in the past few years, thanks to anonymity and forums like Facebook. Sex offenders are peadophiles are always looking for innocent and unsuspecting people to prey on and even pose to be teenagers or students. Any such instances should immediately be reported to the website and the local authorities that may be concerned.